Aaron Rodgers' Year-One Anniversary: Comeback Complete, Focus on the Future

Aaron Rodgers celebrates the one-year anniversary of his season-ending injury with a healthy return to the field. Despite last week's loss, the 40-year-old quarterback remains determined to lead the Jets to success.

On the one-year anniversary of his season-ending Achilles tendon injury, Aaron Rodgers is back on the field and healthy. The 40-year-old New York Jets quarterback is focused on preparing for his team's upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans, rather than dwelling on the past.

"I had forgotten about it, actually, until I got a text this morning early about it," Rodgers said, declining to reveal the sender.

Aaron Rodgers' Year-One Anniversary: Comeback Complete, Focus on the Future

Last September, Rodgers went down on the fourth snap of his debut with the Jets against the Buffalo Bills. The injury cast doubt over his future, but he approached his recovery with determination.

Now, Rodgers is officially back and his focus is on winning.

Aaron Rodgers' Year-One Anniversary: Comeback Complete, Focus on the Future

"Yeah, we go into the Groundhog Day mindset being a Wednesday and we're on to the next opponent," Rodgers said. "But, yeah, like I said before the game last week, there was a lot of emotion, a lot of perspective and gratitude. A lot's changed in a year and I'm glad to still be playing and feel healthy."

In the Jets' season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Rodgers completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. He came out of the game feeling fine physically and is determined to play better this week.

"I feel good about what I did out there, for the most part," he said. "I felt like my feet were good, the perfunctory signals were good, subtle adjustments. There's some things I can clean up, for sure, but it was good to get back out there and feel like I was in the flow, at least."

Rodgers warned against overreactions after the loss to the 49ers, emphasizing that the season is a long process.

"I mean, I think we've always got to stay relaxed," he said. "It's a long season. I think at times, people think the season is like you're out in the prairie or the desert and you're wandering around trying to find water. But it's more like a nice, slow bolero, where we're just swaying with the music and reacting to whatever comes to us and through us and just trying to not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows."

Rodgers acknowledged the increased media coverage and social media presence compared to 10 years ago when he urged Green Bay Packers fans to "R-E-L-A-X."

"There's so much more opportunity for overreaction, so I get it," he said. "We want to win, the fans want to win, the organization wants to win, but the process has to be the same. If it's good enough in Week 1, it's good enough in the playoffs. So we've got to stick to the process and the preparation, the way that goes and trust that it's good enough."

Rodgers and the Jets aim to bounce back in Nashville against the Titans. They will then have a quick turnaround for their home opener against the rival New England Patriots on "Thursday Night Football."

"I really asked those guys up front to block for me, so I can feel like I do right now," Rodgers said with a grin. "I got hit twice and kicked once (against San Francisco). So that's a pretty good night for a 40-year-old."